Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

This book was really fun! The story was interesting, but I think that the characters are the star of the show. Each character has a really unique voice and feel like a fully fleshed out person. They each brought something fun to the story and I never felt annoyed with a character. I honestly would just be okay with a book that is just the characters hanging out on a boat and doing nothing else.

I listened to the audiobook and I really loved how each of the characters were narrated. The voices all were really distinct and really communicated the characters personality. It was such a fun story to listen to.

The book did take a little bit of time to get going and it did sometimes feel like the story was slower paced than I wanted. I also wanted a little more of her crew, which I am hoping that I will get in a sequel. It also felt weirdly episodic and chunked out instead of one smooth story, but I don't mind that.

I thought that the book presented the idea of struggling to be a mother in this chaotic lifestyle but that sometimes felt like it was on the side for a lot of the plot. We had Almina constantly mentioning getting back to her daughter but then

when she decides that she does actually want to travel and balance a life on the sea with being a part it feels rushed and there is almost no consideration for it. I know why the author did it, but I wanted a little more from that theme if you are going to lay it out as the main premise of the novel.

Overall, had a great time with this book, it was super fun and the narrator work was great.

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thecandiegirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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yuripiano's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

This book scratched such an itch I didn't know I had, which was just to read a book that felt like the kinds of things I would have grown up reading. It's a story with adventure, mystical creatures, and a crazy journey featuring strong characters, high stakes, and even higher sails. This sort of maritime mischief is what I was sort of hoping for from Tress of the Emerald Sea - that said, although they both just happen to involve pirates, strong female characters, and devilish binding contracts, they're definitely two different takes on a pirate story for me personally. Thankfully, I would say that the structure, pacing, and general vibe of this one resonated a lot better with me.

I think part of why I liked it so much is that while a lot of it is familiar and feel-good, there's a lot that's fresh, interesting, and otherwise inspired. I'm a sucker for the-gang-gets-back-together-again-to-pull-one-last-job, and it's great seeing the characters as real people with actual families and lives and that they're old.

Well. Like. Older than the typical anime protagonist where life ends after high school or whatever - it's a narrative that I've grown more and more disgruntled with, and the fact that Amina is a mother on top of all of this?
It goes against the grain on a lot of expectations, which is also why I really found it fascinating with how much culture is put into it. The interwoven folk tales, the language, the food, the customs, the clothing, and if you were lucky enough to listen to the honestly fantastic audio book, the language is so refreshing and interesting, especially with how Amina fits into it (or doesn't, as is one of the driving themes throughout the book). There's a mix of reverence for tradition, faith, and family juxtaposed with individuality, progressiveness, and staying true to oneself. I really loved Amina's character, and Raksh was also a fun foil that had a surprising amount of depth.

Sadly, I can't say the same for all of the characters - while I said Amina wasn't like the typical anime protagonist, the same couldn't be said for the other characters in my opinion.

Falco felt cartoonishly evil, and the trio of Tinbu, Majed, and especially Dalila felt rather trope-y to me. Maybe I just have an irrational dislike for Dalila because of how much she just felt like she was there solely to be crazy-old-mad-scientist-lady that didn't really see any growth through the story to me. But, the way that the others at the end of the story just.. are like "yeah, sign me up for another 4 adventures of all of this and ehhhhh it's fine I'll talk to my wife about it, I'm sure she'll be fine with me leaving again" and stuff. That said, part of those complaints can be sorta written off by the fact that this is told in the form of Amina's retelling - they're imperfect, and they're from her point of view, so... it doesn't really make sense for her to characterize Falco as anything other than a 100% crazy irredeemable Disney villain and to maybe not devote as much characterization to her friends compared to Raksh given her relationship with him? This still doesn't explain away Dalila, but I'll stop ragging on her.

Overall, I really liked the book - it was fun and while it had points of familiarity, it featured a world and culture that I don't often get to see represented with so much detail and care put in, and that really set it apart for me.

Edit now that I've sat with it for a while: I think I discounted how much some of the things in this book rather annoyed me by virtue of it being something I just finished. It felt very YA in a lot of places, and it's hard to rate the book as though it's not. The overly cartoonish villain, lack of real consequences, and each character filling a certain niche without really feeling fleshed out (outside of like, Raksh, who was also extremely YA in character) was a bit much. I'd still say overall I liked this book, especially in comparison to some other books I've reviewed here, but I think maybe not quite as much as I had on my initial review of it. The beginning was strong, and the world had potential, but it didn't quite come together for me.

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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

♡ At Sea Battles

♡ Pirate Romance

♡ An Ultimate Pirate Adventure

This was filled with adventure, leaving no room for a dull moment. The cover of this book fit the vibe so well.

I had a lot of fun reading this, even if high fantasy isn’t typically my genre; this was so lovely. The attention to details, the world building, and of course, the plot were all so entertaining.

I really enjoyed how the author wrote adult characters who seemed realistic. Like the main character dealing with chronic pain for example, being a single parent and worrying about her daughter’s wellbeing, and having a past that left her untrusting of most people.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)

Angst Level: 💧 (1/5)

POV: First Person

Release Date: 28, February 2023

Rep: BIPOC (Main and Side Characters), Trans (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Side Characters)

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quiet_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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renpuspita's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

EASILY ONE OF MY TOP READS FOR 2024

I can write so many things why I have a blast while reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, beside I REALLY LOVE The Daevabad Trilogy. But, one thing that I want to highlight is discussion about faith. It's rare to read a Muslim character in fantasy novel. It's also rarer to read a pirate Muslim woman. While Amina is a Islam practitioner from the moment she was born, she is what I called in my Indonesian slang, Islam KTP, lol. See, in her pirates era, Amina drunk alcohols, kill many people, steals, flirting with men, etc etc. I will not shocked if she eat pork, hahaha. So, when she finally retire, she try to atone for her sins. She doing her sholat, dzikir and much more, although still somehow fall into her past misdeeds. Like, maybe stealing one or two or appreciate men's physique (at last, Amina is a honest woman!). Nah, I will not condemn her so. I find Amina's faith fascinating because...it's resonated with me. I'm right now in my lowest state regarding my Islamic faith, and there's a reason behind that. Nope, I'm not drink wine or alcohol and eating pork, or stealing so my sins maybe not that big like Amina was, but who am I to judge myself since I rarely doing my sholat, rarely pray to Allah and maybe many other sins that maybe will make me go through the far deepest pit of hellfire? I think maybe that's why I love this book because how Chakraborty write about Amina and her faith, how Amina is still a human, prone to sins and to mistake, but still try to atone and searching redemption!

Compared to Daevabad Trilogy, Amina al-Sirafi is lighter in tone. Daevabad is full of political intrigue and secrets regarding the daeva and their mythology. Amina al-Sirafi is about adventure! A swashbuckling story that left me breathless and pouring over the pages, impatiently want to know what will happen with Amina and her merry band of crews of Marawati ships. This book also heavy in found family troupe and all of the characters are in their 40-ish, including Amina. I think this book also have a same premise with the Bone Maker, in which the main character that already in their 40-50-ish become hermit and estranged from their friends. But I can assure that the execution is different. I enjoyed both The Bone Maker and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi.

If you have read Daevabad, then you know that Chakraborty did a vast and massive research while writing her books. In this book, Chakraborty also provide her source regarding the pirates world especially in 12th century. While the book is fictional, some of the elements can be traced to its origins. I like the myth behind the Moon of the Saba and snickered when knowing the real explanation behind the artifact. Reading this book is never a dull moment! The story told entirely from Amina's first PoV in a form of her telling her story (and pursuits) to a young scribe named Jamal al-Hilli. So, basically some part can be tongue-in-cheek to read. I'm not kidding when said that the book's tone is light although there's some life and death moments, problems just keep coming for Amina and her crews and also Amina try to keep her daughter, Marjana, safe from harm.

The found family trope is well wonder and I like that Amina and her crews reunited and they are also eager for any chance of adventure. Amina's crews also diverse, from Dalila, a Christian woman famed with her poisons and hail from Banu Sasan. Amina's first mate, a gay Hindu man named Tinbu that managed to keep Marawati in a good shape and almost got hanged because of brigand crime but saved by Amina and Dalila. There's Majed, a navigator that already in his third hajji, a big brother figure to Amina and while he already have family, his longing to make a map of world is stronger so he decide to go with Amina in retrieving the kidnapped granddaughter of wealthy woman in Aden who also threatened Amina if Amina can't bring the said granddaughter back. Do I forgot to said that Amina also have four husband?? Not in the same time, mind you, but the fourth husband, Raksh is an actual demon that want to make Amina as a legend, but also cunning. He's also father of Marjana, but Amina still keep that fact to herself so I wondering how long Raksh will keep in the dark regarding Marjana and what is his reaction if he knew he's a father. I also still wondering, what is exactly Raksh. He's not a marid for sure, and also not a peri. If he's an ifrit, since he said he's a being of discord, I remember that ifrit is nastier while Raksh feel like...a himbo, lel. He's also still married to Amina although Amina left him in the chest 10 years prior to the story, and still married in the end of the book. So yeah, curious about them, although I assure there's no romance. The love aspect is more like Amina's mother love for Marjana and I think she has none for Raskh since that demon also responsible for her late crew's death.

I can go on and on about The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi but know this that I really love this book and will recommend it if you searching for a fantasy with adventure, treasure hunting, found family trope, mysterious artifact, treacherous creatures and interesting thought regarding religion and faith.

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I adored this book! I just couldn’t stop reading it. The narration was hilarious and I really enjoyed when the scribe and the narrator had little spats; the audiobook handled it really well and added to those moments. This historical fantasy pirate story has everything you could want. I loved Amina’s character and how the story focused on a retired smuggler who was now middle aged and on a “last” quest. She had depth and complexity and was very relatable. I’m so excited to read the future books in the series!

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mariposa517's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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